Oluremi Tinubu, the First Lady of Nigeria, has joined other First Ladies of Africa in stating that eliminating the gender gap is an act of justice rather than charity.
She clarified that school dropouts contribute to the cycle of poverty and gender inequality by depriving girls of the skills necessary to sustain themselves and the knowledge they need to make decisions about their future and health.
She said: “The theme for this 28th OAFLAD General Assembly, ‘Educate Her and Transform Africa: Enhancing Access to Health and Education for the 21st Century African Women and Girls’ is apt and addresses the very essence of their joint mission for a thriving and progressive continent.
“Across the world, education and health form an inseparable foundation for societal progress.
“By shaping knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, education empowers individuals and communities, which in turn has direct influence on health outcome.”
Mrs. Tinubu noted that it is really disturbing that embedded social norms like early marriage and childbearing restrict girls’ life choices.
“Across Nigeria, other obstacles like sexual violence, family health crisis and poverty also force girls out of classrooms,” she added.
She informed the gathering that the Nigerian Government through the Ministry of Education is set to establish nationwide, the Alternative High School for Girls, an initiative she envisioned while she was the First Lady of Lagos State.
“Identifying this gap in 2007, while serving as the First Lady of Lagos State, and realising that education is a lifelong process, I envisioned the “Alternative High School for Girls” in collaboration with the State’s Ministry of Education.
“The concept of alternative education for girls was birthed out of my desire to ensure that young girls who dropped out of school for reasons such as early pregnancies, economic hardship or marginalisation due to cultural bias or social barriers, had a second opportunity to go back to school to complete and advance their educational goals, acquire skills and be empowered,” she stated.
Cervical Cancer
The gathering of African First Ladies, Development Partners, Donor Agencies and others were informed by Nigeria’s First Lady of Governments efforts at reducing the prevalence of Cervical Cancer, as statistics show that a woman dies every 90 seconds from the disease.
“As part of efforts to promote the general wellbeing of our womenfolk, my office is working with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, who has introduced the Human Papilloma Vaccine (HPV) into the National Routine Vaccination Programme to stem cases of cervical cancer amongst others,” Mrs. Tinubu disclosed.
Living Standard
Also speaking, the First Lady of Ethiopia noted that the standard of living for majority of Africans is one of the reasons for school dropouts and entrenching school feeding programs in the education systems of various countries will help stem the tide.
In her remarks, the Vice President of Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), and First Lady of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madam Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi, explained that the organization is addressing issues pertaining to women in the continent through health, education, economic empowerment, and eradication of gender based violence.
Other First Ladies spoke about their individual nations experiences and interventions as regards the theme of the 28th General Assembly.
